My first car was an automatic 1997 Dodge Neon. That car was kind of a pile of junk and I bought my 5-speed 2007 Focus. I taught myself how to drive a stick with it and I must have taught myself well-enough. The car lasted almost 261,000 miles and still had the original clutch. It actually didn’t have a tachometer, so that was an upgrade along with an extra gear when I bought my 2017 Focus.
My 2017 Focus is a 1.0 liter 3-cylinder. It’s about the smallest engine you’re going to get in an American car. It’s definitely not super powerful (I bought it for the gas mileage), but it’s a ton of fun to drive and row through the gears. The only time I get annoyed is in Austin (or any stop-and-go) traffic. That definitely works out my left foot as I creep through traffic.
Most of the time I’m on the open road. After shifting into 6th gear, it stays there for a while. I’ll tolerate the occasional stop-and-go for the rest of the time when it’s an absolute joy to drive a stick!
